Tiger kills another man in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, June 24 (Calcutta Tube) A tiger killed a man in a village adjoining a forest area in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, an official said Thursday.

The partially eaten body of Bulakiram, 55, was recovered Wednesday evening from the fields on the outskirts of Akora village, which is near Deuriya area of the Pilibhit forest reserve.

‘Pugmarks found at the site indicate that the man was attacked by a male, adult tiger,’ said Divisional Forest Officer V.K. Singh.

‘Significantly, the Deuriya area of the forest reserve is not considered as tigers’ territory. Field investigations carried out following the incident now indicate that two tigers are present in Deuriya,’ Singh told IANS over telephone from Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow.

Bulakiram had left his house Tuesday to collect wood and had been missing since then.

It’s the third such incident in the district in the last two months.

As per the last census, Pilibhit forest reserve was home to 36 tigers.

http://calcuttatube.com/tiger-kills-man-in-uttar-pradesh-2/101563/

6 tiger cubs spotted in Tadoba reserve

There is now hope for India’s tiger conservation programme. Six tiger cubs have been spotted in three ranges (two in each) in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur forest area, bordering the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, 160 km from Nagpur.

At the end of April a tiger census had found that there were 11 tiger cubs in the reserve (this is apart from the six in the forest area abutting the reserve).

Sources at the state wildlife headquarters said three tigresses missing from the north Chanda circle a few months ago, had each given birth to two cubs.

Conservator of Forests (North Chanda circle) RS Yadav said the tigresses may have moved to desolate places for breeding. The six cubs were seen over the past two months, the latest sighting was on Sunday, he said.

“We then installed cameras in the area to know the positions and movements of the tigresses and their cubs,” Yadav added.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/6-tiger-cubs-spotted-in-Tadoba-reserve/Article1-565071.aspx

Tribals to be moved out of state’s tiger reserve

New Delhi, June 30: The Union ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has beefed up a detailed plan to relocate 1,000 Chenchu tribal families from the core area of the Nagarjungsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve reserve.

The reserve is home to 82 tigers and tiger experts have been pressing for the need to create an undisturbed forest base for these animals. The tribals are likely to be relocated to the fringe areas of the sanctuary and every family member above 18 years is being offered Rs 10 lakh for the relocation.

Anthropologists question whether these hunter gatherer Chenchus who do not practise agriculture will be able to adjust to these changed circumstances.

The environmentalist, Mr Shekar Dattarati, who has personally interviewed many Chenchus, pointed out, “They do not want to remain marooned inside a forest with no prospects. Nor do they want their children to suffer as they have done in the past.” But he did admit, “Resettlement is a sensitive topic. The Chenchus worship the tiger and are known not to attack it. Keen to utilise their tracking and protecting skills, the MoEF has hired 400 young Chenchu boys as forest guards.”

The minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, confirmed, “The younger generation must be given a stake in conserving the forests. Relocation will not be forced down people. Our aim will be to create a consensus on this move.”

The other tribe living in the forests are the Lambadas who are practising agriculture right in the heart of the tiger reserve. Most of the Lambadas have migrated from Mahrashtra as Andhra Pradesh was the only state that offered them ST status.

The Integrated Tribal Development Authority is working with these tribals at a local level. NGOs regret that the MoEF and ITDA have been working at cross purposes with little co-ordination between them.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/hyderabad/tribals-be-moved-out-state’s-tiger-reserve-087

Revision in Wildlife Act to speed up trials

For nearly two decades, a haul of tiger bones and skins has been rotting at the Delhi wildlife division, while the case against the accused has been stuck at the Tees Hazari court.

Across the country, lakhs of similar cases pertaining to crimes against wildlife have been ensnared in magistrate courts because of the low priority accorded to these offences.

To remedy the situation, the ministry of environment and forests has now suggested an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act (1972), which will remove one tier in the cumbersome legal system and reduce delays in deciding wildlife cases.

The amendment proposes that cases involving serious offences - including trading in protected species and their products or trying to manipulate the boundaries of national sanctuaries and tiger reserves - be fasttracked to the sessions court, instead of going through a magistrate's court.

"Wildlife cases, including those against poachers and traders in wildlife products, take 10-12 years to be disposed of through the trial cases," Wildlife Trust of India vicechairman and senior wildlife activist Ashok Kumar said.

He added: "By reducing one tier - the burdened magistrate courts that try all petty crimes - the provision will speed-up trials and ensure the accused are punished."

Activists have pointed out that in several wildlife cases, the seized material either vanishes from government depositories or rots in the long time taken by the courts. "So finally, when the judge does ask to see the seized products as evidence before handing out punishment, the material is not there at all," Kumar explained.

Another modification proposed by the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment bill is imposing stiffer fines for wildlife offences.

The amendment would make trading in critical species, such as the tiger, punishable by a minimum imprisonment of seven years and a fine of Rs 25 lakh. For a second offence, the fine is hiked up to Rs 50 lakh.

The stiff penalties have drawn mixed reactions with some wildlife activists welcoming it and others expressing doubts over whether the changes can be implemented.

Activist Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India said: "It is important to increase the penalties as the old ones were not a deterrent to those selling tiger parts. The traders make huge profits and the earlier fines were mere pittance.

"But Kumar believes that even the earlier fines were not imposed on the accused by the various courts. "It needs to be a figure that the society will accept and judges also find reasonable," he said.

One proposal in the draft bill which has unanimous approval is the ban on the manufacture of leg traps, which are indiscriminately used by poachers.

Wildlife researcher and activist Jose Louies pointed out that poachers carry any number of leg traps or manufacture them with impunity, as the possession of such an instrument is not an offence.

"By banning the manufacture, all the people carrying or using the leg traps will become liable for punishment," he pointed out.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story/103407/India/revision-in-wildlife-act-to-speed-up-trials.html

Kerala govt runs into tiger panel

The Kerala government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court opposing a ban on night traffic on stretches of two National Highways that pass through Karnataka’s Bandipur tiger reserve.

Following reports of tigers, deer and elephants being run over by vehicles, the Karnataka High Court in March ordered stopping of night traffic on NH 212 and NH 67. Resulting from the order, traffic has been banned between 9 pm and 6 am over 13 km of NH 212 and 20 km of NH 67.

In its appeal, Kerala has called Karnataka’s stand as “smacking of romantic notions and myopic”, arguing the ban will “seriously” impact the state’s economy. Interestingly, among the suggestions the Kerala government has offered as alternatives to the ban are: a convoy of vehicles from the forest department can accompany commercial trucks at night or a new elevated road that can be made on pillars.

The issue now promises to snowball as the National Tiger Conservation Authority is set to become a party and oppose the petition. The Authority, helmed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has decided to oppose the petition in the apex court. “This is an issue of all kinds of animals dying because of traffic through the tiger reserve. This is one of the best areas that we have. We have decided to appeal against this (petition) in the Supreme Court,” said Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority.

While Kerala has said in its petition that the ban on night traffic on the two highways will lead to discomfort of lakhs of people in that state and would also affect the vegetable market there, wildlife activists said there are existing routes which create a diversion of 30-40 km which should instead be used.

Nightmare for tourists as tigress enters lodge

GOSABA (SOUTH 24-PARGANAS): They had gone there for a taste of the Sunderbans: mangrove jungles, surging tides and maybe, a whiff of wildlife. When they returned on Sunday, they had lived through a nightmare, their picture postcard holiday marred by a close encounter with the Bengal tiger — right inside the Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge.

Four tourists were at the lodge, a popular haunt of visitors, when a full-grown tigress, reportedly being chased by two tigers in heat, jumped over the boundary fence of the forest department complex twice in the space of 24 hours.

The animal was finally tranquillised on Sunday morning, but not before it had run amok inside the compound, its roars sending the tourists and the handful of forest staffers running for cover. Apart from the lodge, the complex houses a forest office and quarters.

As the tourists stayed trapped, fear of the tigress kept boats away from the Sajnekhali jetty on Saturday. The quartet was sent back on Sunday on a boat that had come with drinking water.

The lodge is currently being renovated and a section of forest officials felt the construction work triggered the breach. According to them, a pile of rubble had been placed just outside the boundary fence. The 9 ft-high barrier is enough to keep tigers out. But the rubble lowered this critical hei-ght, with the tiger climbing atop the rubble heap, before jumping into the compound.

Sunderban Tiger Reser-ve deputy field director Ri-cha Dwibedi said: "It seems to have climbed atop the rubble and leaped inside."

But West Bengal Forest Development Corporation MD PBN Rao claimed he did not know how the breach took place. "I have no information if rubble was kept outside the fence. I'll have to ask my manager at the spot for details."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Kolkata-/Nightmare-for-tourists-as-tigress-enters-lodge/articleshow/6099922.cms

Wildlife rangers rescue tiger cub in Jim Corbett National Park

2010-06-27 23:30:00

Wildlife Rangers of the famed Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand have lent a healing touch to an orphaned and injured tiger cub. In the course of their routine patrolling of the area, the wildlife wardens spotted a striped tiger cub in a pitiable situation and picked it up for treatment by the veterinarians. "We found a tiger cub which is about 15 to 20 days old. The tiger has injuries near its tail and on its back. The tiger had insects sticking to its body," said Gangashwer Pandey, Director of Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve Park. The injured cub would be released back into its natural habitat after undergoing complete treatment and till then it will stay under the care of the Forest Department. (ANI)

Fisherman killed by tiger in Sunderban Reserve Canning (WB):

Fisherman killed by tiger in Sunderban Reserve

Canning (WB): A fisherman was killed by a tiger while another tigress was captured after it strayed into the Sajnekhali office campus of Sunderban Tiger Reserve. About 10 fishermen had ventured from Basanti area into the Sunderban jungles ten days ago. They entered the Tiger Reserve's Core Area when one of them Dilip Baidya was attacked by a tiger on Saturday. The tiger was chased away by other fishermen but Baidya succumbed to his injuries. In a separate incident, a tigress entered the Sajnekhali Tiger campus on Saturday evening. The animal was again spotted on Sunday on the campus. The tigress was later tranquilised and then put in a cage.

Sariska may see two more tigers this rainy season

JAIPUR: Call them monsoon tigers, for this time round too the rainy season will mark the arrival of tigers in Sariska. As soon as the season's first showers lash the slopes of the mighty Aravallis, another pair of wild tigers would be shifted to Sariska Tiger Reserve from Ranthambhore National Park. The twosome—a male and a female—would join the group of one male and two females which have already made the Sariska woods their home since the first ever tiger re-location in the country two years ago.

“The temperature has to come down. We cannot release the tigers if the temperature is above 40 degrees C. The ideal situation to carry out the exercise is the rainy season,” says the Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan, R. N. Mehrotra.

“Now that the Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests has given clearance for another round of re-location, we have started the preparations. It can happen some time in the first fortnight of July,” Mr. Mehrotra reveals.

Environmentalists and tiger lovers are happy about the end to the impasse over tiger-shifting as after an unsavoury controversy over the wisdom of bringing together the tigers from the same gene pool the National Tiger Conservation Authority had started acting tough on the issue. Though still positive about the re-introduction of the tiger population in Sariska – after the reserve lost all its tigers some time in 2004-05-- the Authority had asked the State forest officials to catch the young tigers which have been straying outside the Ranthambhore Park.

The change in the attitude of both the Authority and Union Minister Jairam Ramesh appears to be due partly to a recent report from environmentalist Aparajita Datta of the Mysore-based National Conservation Foundation which termed the attempt to catch the tigers outside the Park “difficult” due to their elusive nature as well as the tough terrain they are stalking. Ms. Datta, also a member of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, suggested depending on the knowledge of the field staff as the basis for the selection of the “suitable pair”.

“She has recommended the selection of a pair from the 10-odd young tigers identified by us already. They have to be young, transient in nature and unsettled,” says Mr. Mehrotra. As far as possible the attempt would be to carry out the genetic analysis of the chosen tigers so that the new ones are not related to the three tigers already in Sariska.

The first tiger—a male—was airlifted from Ranthambhore and released in Sariska on June 28, 2008. The second, a female, was moved to the new area through the same process in July the same year. The third, another female feline, was flown in in February 2009. All three have lived happily since then but the only complaint seems to be that there are no little ones snorting around even when the couple re-located to the Panna tiger reserve in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh much later has multiplied.

Though dates are not official yet, July 4 could be an ideal day to watch out for the tiger to burn bright in Sariska once again!

http://www.hindu.com/2010/06/27/stories/2010062757810100.htm

Simlipal reserve: Poachers’ haven, foresters’ shame

The controversy over elephant deaths in Simlipal Tiger reserve in Odisha has deepened further with the discovery of three more carcasses — two of these charred, another in a decomposed state. While, in a report, a team set up by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has confirmed seven jumbo deaths, information is coming in about possible deaths of at least eight more pachyderms.

The Pioneer had reported on the series of jumbo deaths on June 2, following which the NTCA had ordered a probe into the incident by a two-member committee. Accord-ing to sources, the recently-submitted report mentions of seven confirmed deaths of tuskers in the reserve.

However, sources said this is not the end of the story. “Three more carcasses, including charred bones of two jumbos and decomposed carcass of another, were found.”

Their samples have been brought from the area, informed the sources. “There is definite evidence of at least seven-eight more deaths,” they asserted.

The sources also confirmed having sighted at least 50 chulhas in the core area, near Jodapal, which were estimated to have been used in cooking meals for at least 300 persons. Bones of sambar, bison and barking deer have also been found there.

Meanwhile, Field Director of the reserve, HS Upadhyay, told The Pioneer that a team, comprising Deputy Field Director VR Das, Assistant Conservator DK Samal and informers, found several bones in the forest. But he added these bones could not be said to be parts of the three carcasses. “They need to be examined thoroughly,” he said.

Upadhyay said the team would visit the forest next week once again, to check out for more such carcasses and maintained that the department is in full control of the situation with senior officers undertaking frequent visits to reserve areas.

However, others don’t agree with Upadhyay’s contention that the situation was under control. “How much is the forest department in the know of things happening in the reserve?” questioned an expert. “If such a situation continues, Simlipal may also be destined to go the Sariska way.”

The most disturbing factor, according to experts, is that though it is a tiger reserve, but there seems to be little or no response from the forest department on elephant deaths. They claim that it was left for the independent teams of wildlife activists and enthusiasts to venture into the deep and scout out information and reports, which often forces the department to act.

The sources further pointed out that the three revenue villages in the core area are proving to be major threats to the wildlife there. “They are keen to be relocated from the forests, but the department unfortunately does not seem to be as much interested,” they regretted.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/265581/Simlipal-reserve-Poachers’-haven-foresters’-shame.html

Stress on better tiger protection steps in Assam

GUWAHATI, June 27 – Proactive action on the part of the Forest Department could place Assam in the forefront of the tigerconservation programme in the country. This would be possible due to the advantages that the state already possesses, which include a stable and growing population of the highly protected species.

A well-placed source in the Forest Department told The Assam Tribune that there was a need for “more focused thinking and intervention” to protect the tiger, which has a sizeable population in Kaziranga and few other protected areas. He favoured a policy that embraced more areas in the state where the presence of tigers was documented by independent observers.

There are reports which indicate that apart from tigers being located in Kaziranga, Manas and Nameri, the range of the animal extends into a number of eeserve forests in Assam and adjoining states. In total, the state could now possess a tiger population hovering around 180.

Dr Bibhab Talukdar of the biodiversity conservation group Aaranyak acknowledging the presence of the tiger in reserved forests said that better protection was required in those areas to ensure the survival of the animals. “I would say that the time has come to treat those reserved forests in a different way. It would be seriously limiting if we treat those merely as sources of timber,” he remarked.

Dr Talukdar pointed out that the net of tiger conservation should extend to other areas including parts of eastern Assam and some sand bars close to Kaziranga where the presence of the big cat has been located.

“While tigers are being surveyed in key protected areas, there are other areas where the animal’s presence has also been proved. Any serious conservation programme concerning the species must take into account those areas where monitoring is yet to take place,” he noted.

He was of the view that there was a dispersed population of tigers in areas across Assam, which has never been documented. “There is a genuine need for a scientific study to know about this population,” he asserted. Experts are of the belief that nearly 50 animals could be scattered in parts of the state, which are not within any protected area.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=jun2810/city07

Stiffer penalties to curb wildlife crime

India has proposed to slap stiffer penalties to curb wildlife crime and illicit trade, but experts said these would still be insufficient deterrents.

The environment ministry, in a draft amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, has proposed that fines for offences against critical or most endangered species be hiked 20 times. Illegal trade in these species and offences in national parks and sanctuaries would entail a fine of at least Rs25 lakh. An offence in a tiger sanctuary would carry a maximum penalty of Rs50 lakh the first time and Rs75 lakh for repeat offenders. Jail terms would be hiked to five-seven years, from three-seven years.

Conservationists say higher fines and jail terms are not the right way to rein in wildlife crime.

“The whole thrust of the changes has been to increase penalty provision. But in real life, there is an inverse relationship between increase in penalty and conviction rate,” said Ritwick Dutta, an environment lawyer. “At present, offences against endangered tigers already invite a three-year sentence. Has it worked?”

He added that in the 30 years of the Act, no one has been convicted for seven years. Actor Salman Khan, who was convicted of hunting black buck, a critical species, got away with a Rs5,000 fine.

“A deterrent works only when there is awareness, which is quite low. It is not the severity, but the certainty of the punishment which matters, which is a deterrent,” Dutta said.

Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC, a non-profit body that monitors wildlife trade, also said penalties alone would not deter crimes.

“After all these years of experience, my sense is that higher penalty should also be combined with higher probability of people getting caught. Unless delivery mechanism is strengthened, this won’t be effective. Wildlife trade has to be made less lucrative,” he said.

Tribal rights activists are disconcerted by the proposed amendments for a different reason.

“The penalties are extremely high and so is the potential for abuse. A large number of tribals are slapped with false and petty cases every year,” said Shankar Gopalakrishnan, secretary, Campaign for Survival and Dignity, a tribal rights activist group. “Without recognizing that and without any reference to the Forest Rights Act in the amendments, it doesn’t bode well.”

One of the ministry’s amendments to the law seeks to broaden research in conservation sciences. It proposes that the government promote independent scientific research and frame comprehensive rules and procedures for it.

“Indian wildlife research is not where it should be because of the forest department, which controls all permits and research. This is definitely very positive,” said Raghu Chundawat, a wildlife scientist.

“The forest department’s role should be limited to (the) Act and not on what kind of research should be done,” he said. “This is not private property.”

http://www.livemint.com/2010/06/24214603/Stiffer-penalties-to-curb-wild.html?atype=tp

'Won’t force villagers out of tiger reserves'

Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said there would be no forceful relocation of villagers from the 39 tiger reserves in the country even if the process takes a decade to complete.

Around 48,000 families are to be relocated from the core tiger areas for which the Centre has provided Rs 600 crore. The relocation is, however, moving slowly due to resistance from the villagers.

“The villagers have to be relocated to protect tigers," Ramesh told forest officials and NGO representatives from tiger reserves around the country. “For that, the villagers will have to be convinced that the deal being offered is good.”

Most forest officials are convinced the deal being offered is beneficial both for tigers and villagers. “Around 70 per cent of villagers in Sariska and Ranthambore have agreed to move out of core tiger areas,” said R.N. Mehrotra, Chief Conservator of Forest, Rajasthan.

Although Rajasthan is ahead of other states in the relocation process, finding land to resettle the villagers is still a challenge for the state government. Most of the NGOs representatives at the two-day national consultation on relocation said there was no transparency in implementation of the process. “The guidelines for relocation have not been provided in local languages. In most cases, it is in either English or Hindi,” said a NGO representative.

But Sariska, which lost all its tigers in 2004, has been able to relocate most of the villagers and is ready to get a tiger couple by mid-July.

“As soon as there is soon rain, we will relocate the tigers from Ranthambore,” Mehrotra said.HT Correspondent

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Won-t-force-villagers-out-of-tiger-reserves/Article1-562764.aspx

Good news from Palamau: Tiger count now up to six

A report prepared by the Hyderabad Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has ascertained the exact number of tigers in the Palamau Tiger Reserve, Jharkhand, to be six.

The report was based on DNA analysis of scat samples collected from inside the reserve area of 1026 sq km, between June 2008 and July 2009.

The samples were from Mahuadhand, Brawagarha, Baresand and Betla areas of the reserve, which are considered a Naxal stronghold.

In fact, the wildlife department had approached CCMB to conduct the DNA analysis after the Wildlife Institute of India did not find any sign of tigers in the survey carried out in 2008. Also there had been no tiger sighting in the reserve since 2007. In this backdrop, the findings of the CCMB have generated hope among the environmentalists that the big cat is not extinct here.

“Three incidents of poaching and six incidents of Naxal violence were reported between 2006 and 2009. The need of the hour is to reclaim the reserve from the hold of poachers and Naxals,” said Ashok Bhagat, who is associated with Van Rakhsha Samiti, Palamau.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Good-news-from-Palamau--Tiger-count-now-up-to-six/637778

CBI probe ordered into seizure of tiger parts in Guwahati

The government has ordered a CBI probe into the seizure of 20 kg of tiger parts and skeletons worth Rs 5 crore from Guwhati airport, which were allegedly meant for flourishing traditional medicine market in China and Far East Asia.

Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh has directed a CBI investigation while expressing concern that Guwhati in the Northeast has become a major hub for smugglers to tranship wildlife products to neighbouring countries, as indicated by frequent seizures.

Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said, "It is a serious issue having national and international ramifications. CBI has been asked to probe into backward and forward linkages thread-bare in the case."

Since the seizure was made by the Customs Department, the Centre considered the case fit for CBI investigation instead of handing it over to Assam government.

The huge haul of tiger parts recently as well also a few months ago from the airport has put a question mark on the country-wide conservation measures being initiated to save the big cat in forests.

"Untill the poachers are reined in and demand for tiger parts is curbed, the big cats in forests would remain vulnerable, notwithstanding various steps taken for its safety.

"This is perhaps the biggest seizure of tiger parts in recent times," Gopal added.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/CBI-probe-ordered-into-seizure-of-tiger-parts-in-Guwahati/Article1-562115.aspx

Tiger kills man in Uttar Pradesh

A tiger killed a man in a village adjoining a forest area in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, an official said Thursday.

The partially eaten body of Bulakiram, 55, was recovered Wednesday evening from the fields on the outskirts of Akora village, which is near Deuriya area of the Pilibhit forest reserve.

'Pugmarks found at the site indicate that the man was attacked by a male, adult tiger,' said Divisional Forest Officer V.K. Singh.

'Significantly, the Deuriya area of the forest reserve is not considered as tigers' territory. Field investigations carried out following the incident now indicate that two tigers are present in Deuriya,' Singh told IANS over telephone from Pilibhit, some 250 km from Lucknow.

Bulakiram had left his house Tuesday to collect wood and had been missing since then.

It's the third such incident in the district in the last two months.

As per the last census, Pilibhit forest reserve was home to 36 tigers.

http://sify.com/news/tiger-kills-man-in-uttar-pradesh-news-national-kgylabibihg.html

Big cat was a tourist puller at Tadoba this summer

NAGPUR: Notwithstanding the scorching summer heat, wild life lovers and tourists made a beeline this summer at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur breaching previous highs of daily gate entries.

The TATR field office recorded a phenomenal 40% rise in the tourist-flow at Tadoba in 2009-10 over the previous year, with more than a lakh visitors generating a revenue of Rs26.86 lakh on account of the entry fee. What's more, officials say, even in a particularly warm summer, the number of tourists flooding TATR actually shot up in April and May, all because of the certainty in
sighting of tigers this time around.

More than 30,000 tourists flooded Tadoba in April and May 2010 at an average 578 tourists entering the reserve every day in more than 80 vehicles. The 2008-09 fiscal saw 68,183 tourists enter TATR, while the 2009-10-season drew in 103,693 tourists, almost a three-fold rise as compared to 2002-03-season when only 30,951 tourists came to the pristine forests of Tadoba, according to the TATR field office data.

Officials say the TATR is becoming popular across the country now. The private and government-run resorts around Tadoba also did a brisk business this season, they said.

“Because of easy sightings of tigers, tourist flow increased this year,” Sanjay Thakare, the TATR field director said. “Liberal publicity in the media too helped fuel the tourist interest and curiosity.”

The summer followed one of the worst meteorological droughts this year, and the wild animals in the Tadoba forests were mainly dependent on the man-made water holes, officials said.

The increased tourist flow came with some obvious problems though. Tourists, say forest officials, are not sufficiently educated in the dos and don’ts of forest tourism. “They forget that it’s not recreational; you are actually disturbing the wild life if you create a ruckus and noise in their territory,” Thakare said.

There were incidents when officials had to fine and warn some tourists to behave inside Tadoba.

Top forest officials and wild life conservationists in Chandrapur are of the view that there should be restrictions in the tourist movement in the TATR, which remains one of the important tiger conservation foci of the authorities. For some reasons, unlike other national parks and sanctuaries that remain closed for tourists during monsoon, the TATR is kept open for tourists during the four rainy months.

“Tourism for us is a secondary issue,” an official said. “Our priority is conservation but people forget that and instead complain that we stop them from going in. But if we don’t conservation efforts will suffer.”

http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_big-cat-was-a-tourist-puller-at-tadoba-this-summer_1399872

Now, solar lamps near tiger reserve

PATNA: Residents of Khairahni and Majuraha villages located near Harnatar range of Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve are set to enjoy brighter evenings. Courtesy, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), these villagers would soon have access to solar lanterns which they can hire at nominal rates.

TERI under its ‘Lighting a billion lives’ has decided to set up solar charging points in the said villages with each point to have 60 solar lanterns which villagers could hire.

One from among villagers would be given the responsibility of running the charging points which would also provide facility for mobile charging. While part of the income from these points would be used for maintenance work, the remaining work would be given to the person who would run these charging points, TERI research associate Jarnail Singh, who is looking after the project being implemented in many tiger reserves across the country, told TOI over phone on Tuesday.

TERI has entered into agreement with different organisations working in these tiger reserves, for implementing the project, and in case of Valmiki, it has roped in services of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) for implementing the project.

“This project is going to be very helpful in reducing incidents of man-animal conflict as the bright light of solar lanterns, which would be used by the villagers, would work as deterrent for wild animals as these animals avoid coming close to bright light,” WTI assistant manager Samir Kumar Sinha said.

He said provision of light during evening hours would also allow villagers to use their evening hours in productive work, which in turn, would help reduce their dependence on forest.

TERI also plans to use this project as a means of awareness generation for conserving flora and fauna among residents living in and around tiger reserves. Those manning the solar charging points, who would be called ‘Prakash Dut’, would be trained for this purpose, Singh said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Now-solar-lamps-near-tiger-reserve/articleshow/6080571.cms

Pench guards burn tiger cub’s carcass

Even before the controversy over the recent killing of a tigress in the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve of Madhya Pradesh had died down, the shocking incident of burning of a tiger cub’s carcass in Pench tiger reserve has come to light from the State.

Four tiger pads have been recovered and three forest chowkidars with the Chairman of the Eco-development Society (constituted by the Forest department) have been arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The incident has been confirmed by the Chief Conservator of Forests, in-charge of territorial Chindwara circle, G Krishnamurthy.

The sources told The Pioneer that a tigress was seen moving with her three cubs in the reserve for past few months. But, since last month, one cub was found missing. “We had no clue as to what had happened to the six-month-old predator, however it was learnt that the latter had died and the carcass burnt to wipe out any evidence,” they said.

Shockingly, the heinous act was allegedly committed by the very protectors of the reserve — the three chowkidars and the Chairman of the local committee. But before burning the body, they chopped off the pad/feet of the cub. Shockingly, the pads were to be used for performing certain tantrik ritual, which they believed would make them wealthy.

Nitin Desai, Environmentalist and Central India Director of Wild Life Protection Society of India, has expressed shock, saying, “How could the Forest department get hoodwinked like this? The cub dies, its carcass burnt, the pads chopped off and that too by its own men and the authorities do not seem to be aware, when all these were happening?”

Confirming the incident, Krishnamurthy said the department has recovered some bones and part of the tiger skin from the burnt remains. He, however, said that the animal had “died a natural death due to weakness”.

Sources said department officials during their patrolling found the cub near a water body away from its mother. Noting its critical condition, the officials had directed the chowkidars to keep a watch on the animal. However, after two days, they reported that the cub was no longer there and that it had been taken back by its mother.

The officials got wind of the incident after a priest had been called by the chowkidars to their camp to perform a tantrik ritual using cub pads, said the CCF.

http://www.dailypioneer.com/264283/Pench-guards-burn-tiger-cub’s-carcass.html

Proved: Siblings sent to mate in Sariska

Almost a year after the Hindustan Times expose (Rajasthan govt sent tiger siblings to repopulate Sariska, June 29, 2009), a National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) report has finally admitted that DNA tests conducted by Bangalore-based National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS) found the big cats to be siblings.

The HT investigation exposed how, between June 2008 and February 2009, two sisters and their half-brother were picked up arbitrarily from Ranthambore and sent to Sariska. Siblings often find it difficult to breed and when they do, it leads to acute inbreeding depression. In spite of regular mating, the Sariska tigers have so far failed to breed.

This January, the NTCA ordered DNA tests on tigers of Ranthambore and Sariska, to ascertain breeding compatibility before shifting any more of them and commissioned a field study by Aparajita Datta, member, NTCA, and AJT Johnsingh, former professor, Wildlife Institute of India.

Referring to the Hindustan Times investigation in their report submitted earlier this month, Datta and Johnsingh observed: "The media report is correct in saying the genetic analysis should have been conducted prior translocation to assess the relatedness of the animals when establishing a new population."

The report further noted: "From the three scat samples meant to be of the three different individual tigers now in Sariska…male and female have been found to be highly related suggesting that they are…siblings."

Rajasthan forest department has all along claimed that the two Sariska tigresses were half-siblings born to the same mother but the male tiger sent to Sariska was unrelated to them.

Meanwhile, though NCBS received scat sample for DNA tests from Ranthambhore only last week, the NTCA has decided to translocate two big cats that have moved out of the national park to adjoining under-protected forests.

“The scientific studies will continue but we need to urgently shift these two tigers -- a male in Kela Devi sanctuary and a female near Kota. Their future is anyway uncertain in these disturbed forests and they will get a second chance in Sariska," said Dr Rajesh Gopal, member-secretary, NTCA.

However, as Sariska is scheduled to receive its fourth tiger on July 4, after a 15 month moratorium, the state forest officials are again looking to take the easy way out.

"The NTCA plan is commendable. But the field officers have been trying to tranquilize those two tigers for quite some time without success. Wary, now they are seeking to widen their options by randomly targeting easy tigers from inside the national park," said Fateh Singh Rathore, ex-conservator, Ranthambhore.

An agency report on Sunday quoted a senior state forest official as saying that NTCA-appointed experts Datta and Johnsingh had submitted a list of 10 probable tigers in Ranthambore, of which two would be picked for translocation. "As only two tigers have to be shifted, the wide choice of ten tigers would prevent a delay in executing the big cat relocation plan," the official was quoted anonymously.

However, the report submitted by Datta and Johnsingh noted that the state forest officials themselves furnished a list of 9-12 tigers they deemed fit for relocation. The experts explicitly pointed out that they were "unable to comment on the suitability of most of these animals" and that there was "limited scientific information available…to make decisions based on objective scientific criteria".

Their report, therefore, recommended capturing only the two animals outside the national park and warned against selecting any other individual without determining their (genetic) relatedness.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Proved-Siblings-sent-to-mate-in-Sariska/Article1-561269.aspx

Haul raises spectre of tiger poaching in NE

Guwahati, June 21: Forest officials in the Northeast are keeping their fingers crossed, hoping that the upcoming tiger census will throw up a larger count of the big cats.

The 2005-08 estimate had pegged the tiger population in Assam at 70.

Sources said though there was no confirmed case of poaching of tigers in Assam, the situation in the Northeast’s other tiger reserves was not that too rosy.

Three tiger reserves in the region have been graded as “poor”. These are the ones at Manas in Assam, Dampa in Mizoram and Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh.

Tiger reserves at Kaziranga in Assam and Pakke in Arunachal Pradesh have earned “good” status tag while the one in Nameri in Assam has been graded “satisfactory”.

The grading is done by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

The latest haul of tiger bones by the customs has aggravated fear that the tigers are being hunted. Guwahati customs recently seized 10.2kg skulls and bones of full-grown tigers.

“There is some network and support in the protected area but once out, the tigers are at risk,” Rajesh Gopal, a member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, told this correspondent.

“Once they stray out from Kaziranga to Karbi Anglong, all animals face threats,” Firoz Ahmed of Aaranyak, an NGO, said. During floods, many animals seek refuge in the highlands in Karbi Anglong and adjacent reserve forests like Panbari, Bagser and Kukurakata close to the park’s boundary.

Chief wildlife warden, Assam, Suresh Chand, said there had not been any instance of confirmed tiger poaching in the state.

The executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, Belinda Wright, said there was admiration for the authorities of Kaziranga for the protection measures initiated by them, but little could be done when the animals venture out of the safe zones.

“Tiger poaching is done surreptitiously and it is difficult to track the people who are in this trade,” Wright says, adding that one must not forget Sariska and Panna national parks. In a recent incident of straying, a tiger was spotted in Upper Assam after killing two persons. It was later rehabilitated in Manas National Park.

An official of Kaziranga National Park said: “It is not easy for the poachers to target tigers here unlike the rhinos. The thick grasses of the national park are a deterrent.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100622/jsp/northeast/story_12590476.jsp

400 families to be relocated from Corbett tiger reserve

The government has granted Rs. 25 crore for relocating 181 Gujjar families from the core regions of the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Over a period of time, a total of 400 families would be relocated to avoid man-animal conflicts in the reserve, a release by the Ministry of Environment and Forests said.

The government also planned to set up an Indira Gandhi Interpretation and Learning Centre near the reserve at a cost of Rs. 5 crore by the end of next year, it said.

http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article477855.ece#

Bihar skips save-tiger meet

PATNA: Bihar government, it appears, gives a damn to issues concerning wildlife. Had it not been the case, the government would not have chosen to skip the three-day meeting convened by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to review the tiger protection strategy.

On April 10, NTCA officials discussed the issue with forest officials of northern and north-eastern states. Central region states' forest officials shared their views on April 11 and on the last day on April 12, it was the turn of those coming from the southern states.

The meeting assumes significance for Bihar as its only tiger reserve, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), has seen a gradual decline in the number of big cats since it came into existence in 1989-90. At the time of its creation, it was home to an estimated 81 tigers. The figure came down to 53 in 1997. According to the latest census conducted in 2006, VTR has between seven to 13 tigers only. A suspected case of poisoning of a tiger was reported from the reserve as early as last month.

"All the other sixteen states, which have one or more tiger reserves, sent their representatives but Bihar didn't," an NTCA official, preferring anonymity, told TOI over phone on Monday. He said the matter would be taken up with the state government.

When contacted, Bihar's environment and forest department principal secretary Jayaram Lal Meena told TOI the chief wildlife warden (CWW) and the director of VTR did seek permission for attending the meeting. "The permission could not be granted due to unavoidable reasons," Meena said and added while the CWW was changed just few days before the meeting, the application of VTR's project director could not be processed in time.

He, however, said the state would be in constant touch with the NTCA to seek guidelines for improving the condition of the reserve.

NTCA too appears to be in a collaborative mood. "We would send the outcome of the deliberations to the state so that it could be used for the Valmiki reserve," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Patna/State-skips-save-tiger-meet/articleshow/6069158.cms

Sariska to get two more tigers in July

JAIPUR: The roar of the tiger is all set to get louder at Sariska Tiger Reserve with the Centre finally approving relocation of two more tigers from Ranthambore National Park. The relocation of the big cats — one male and a female — is likely to take place on July 4.

According to forest officials, though the tentative dates for the relocation has been fixed for July 4, attempts for the same will begin from July 1 itself.

Sariska, as of now, has two female and a male tiger which were airlifted from Ranthambore between July 2008 and early 2009. However, further relocation attempts were put on hold after a few wildlife experts expressed fears that relocating the big cats without testing the genes to see if they belong to the same family might prove disastrous.

“An expert team comprising Aparajita Dutta from the National Wildlife Conservation Trust and AJT John Singh, former professor of the Wildlife Trust of India, has been camping at Ranthambore since long. In fact, it is in response to a letter written by Dutta on the rising pressure in Ranthambore due to the increasing population of big cats that the Centre has finally agreed to relocate transient tigers from there to Sariska,” said Ram Lal Jat, forest minister.

Officials of the state forest department said that DNA testing will continue alongside with relocation as it takes a lot of time. “The scats have been collected and sent for DNA testing. In this relocation, our prime objective would be to shift the two tigers which have strayed out of Ranthambore to Kota and Kailadevi. But in case we fail to locate them on that day, we will shift other identified tigers,” said an official.

Two tigers — a female, T-37 and a male, T-47 — had strayed away from the Ranthambore reserve earlier this year and have refused to come back so far. Forest officials have been maintaining a watch on them and trying to bring them back to the reserve. .

“We will try to shift distant animals so as not to affect the gene pool but even if the relocated animals are related in any way, we will try to correct it by relocating tigers from some other zone sometime later. There is, however, no question of incompatibility as the tigers from Ranthambore to be relocated are healthy,” he said. So far, nearly 10 tigers have been identified in the Ranthambore reserve for relocation, of which two will be chosen on that day.

Meanwhile, permissions like that for the use of a helicopter for airlifting the tiger have already been taken and researchers from Wildlife Institute of India and state forest department are camping in Sariska, keeping a track of identified tigers.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Jaipur/Sariska-to-get-two-more-tigers-in-July/articleshow/6073185.cms

NTCA, state officials to visit Tiroda

NAGPUR: Finally, Tiroda could see some hectic activities. A six-member joint committee of top state officials and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) will visit Tiroda on June 22 to inspect 163.84 hectare forest land proposed to be diverted for Adani Power Maharashtra Limited (APML) for its power plant.

NTCA, a statutory body under the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), has expressed concern over diversion of the forest land as it forms the corridor between 257 sq km Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur and 152 sq km Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary in Gondia. The panel will study the impact of land diversion on wildlife, particularly tigers.

NTCA will be represented by wildlife conservationist Kishor Rithe. On the direction of P B Gangopadhyay, additional director general of forests (forest conservation), chief wildlife warden, A K Joshi constituted a committee under him on June 11.

The other members of the panel are chief conservator of forests (CCF) for wildlife, Nandkishore, as member-secretary; CCF for Nagpur territorial circle, Krishna Mohan; deputy conservator of Gondia, Mukesh Ganatra and Prafulla Bhamburkar of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) as members. A meeting will also be held to discuss the issue at Bhandara at 10 am. The visit will follow thereafter.

Two separate offences - one on May 16 and another on June 4 - have already been registered by Tiroda RFO against Adani Power for violating the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) 1980 by digging huge trenches in survey number 163 in Mendipur, in the proposed forest land sought by Adani. However, permission has not been granted to divert the land as it forms part of the tiger corridor.

The APML was granted environment clearance for setting up a 1,320 mw (660mw x 2) coal-based thermal power project in Tiroda on May 29, 2008. The proposal was exempted from public hearing as it is located in the MIDC area. However, while according environmental clearance to the project, one of the conditions was to submit a plan for conservation of fauna reported in the study area. This was to be done in consultation with the wildlife department within three months and was to be implemented effectively.
Shockingly, the plan has not been submitted even after the lapse of 15 months. The company agreed to follow the condition only after August 14, 2009, that too because of CCF (Central), Bhopal, A K Rana’s visit to Nagpur.

Documents sought under the RTI Act show that APML had applied for expansion of another 660 mw project for which another 192 hectare land was needed. Of this, 163.84 hectare is forest land. The MoEF on September 10, 2008, prescribed terms of reference (TOR) for preparing the draft EIA report for the expansion project.

The conditions of the TOR include whether the project is within ten kilometre of the sanctuary or falls in the migratory route; details of flora and fauna duly authenticated to be followed by a conservation plan. The company submitted a conservation plan, but CCF (wildlife) has picked up many flaws in it saying it was prepared without studying the impact area. The CCF (territorial), Nagpur, has already submitted the APML expansion project falls within the ten kilometre of the Nagzira sanctuary.

“Since phase I and phase II are located at the same place, the impact of these projects in the study area and subsequent mitigative measures need to be studied taking them together along with the further expansion of the power project. Unless the environmental clearance is accorded to the said project, forest clearance under the FCA should also be kept in abeyance,” the report submitted to chief wildlife warden by the CCF states.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/City/Nagpur/NTCA-state-officials-to-visit-Tiroda/articleshow/6073237.cms

Tiger bones and pangolin scales seized in Assam

Guwahati, Jun 20 (PTI) Around 10 kg of tiger bones and 500 kg of pangolin scales, worth crores of rupees, were seized from Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here in the past few days, forest officials said today.

Custom department's sleuths seized a consignment of over 300 kg of pangolin scales last night, they said.

On June 17, two bags containing ten kg of tiger bones and nearly 200 kg of pangolin scales were seized from the airport, they said, adding two persons have been arrested in this connection.

Both the consignments were meant to be sent to West Imphal via Dimapur.

The value of pangolin scale is estimated to be around Rs 70,000 per kg, while ten gms of tiger bone fetches about USD 200 in the international market, customs department officials said.

http://www.ptinews.com/news/729695_Tiger-bones-and-pangolin-scales-seized-in-Assam

Full-grown tiger skeletal seized in Guwahati

A full-grown tiger skeletal and pangolin scales worth Rs.2 crore meant to be smuggled to China was seized from Assam's international airport, a senior official said here Friday. The products were intercepted Wednesday and Thursday in two separate consignments sent from Dimapur in Nagaland to Guwahati through government-owned postal service. 'The consignments -- 320 kg of Pangolin scales and a tiger skeleton -- were booked in Dimapur and sent through the Railway Mail Service to Guwahati. It was meant to be sent to Imphal (in Manipur) by an Air India flight,' North East Customs Commissioner S.R. Baruah told IANS. He said the consignments were all neatly packed in cartons and wrapped in multiple layers of Hessian clothes. Baruah said the packets, according to intelligence inputs, were meant to be smuggled to Myanmar from Manipur and finally into China. 'Tiger bones are largely smuggled to China for use in traditional medicines, fashion and high-end products,' Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India told IANS over telephone from New Delhi. She said most of the wildlife animals were smuggled out to China through Jaigaon in West Bengal via eastern Nepal. 'There is a 'good density of tigers' in Kaziranga Park (Assam) and Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh but no proper survey of tiger population in the northeast has been conducted,' Wright said. A kilo of Pangolin scale is worth about Rs.60,000 while a gram of crushed Tiger bone costs almost Rs.1,000 in the international market. The modus operandi used by the smugglers has made the customs authorities to work out its strategy afresh.

http://sify.com/news/full-grown-tiger-skeletal-seized-in-guwahati-news-national-kgstEehbhjc.html